acSELerator Architect (SEL-5032) is SEL's tool for engineering an IEC 61850 system: the ICD files of the devices are imported, GOOSE, sampled values and MMS reports are configured, and the CID files each device receives are generated. The RTAC joins as client or server with its own software; the order of work and the files are what need care.
Short answer
In an IEC 61850 project with SEL devices, acSELerator Architect (SEL-5032) is where the system communication is designed: which device publishes what, who subscribes, and which reports the SCADA reads. Each relay keeps its protection settings in another tool (acSELerator QuickSet), and the RTAC (SEL RTAC gateway) is configured with its own software. The success of the project depends on order and on file management more than on any button. The origin of these services in UCA, created at EPRI, is told in UCA 2.0 and Its Relationship to IEC 61850.
Which files are involved
IEC 61850 describes devices with SCL files (SCL files). Architect works with all four types:
| File | What it is | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| ICD | Capabilities of a device, supplied by the manufacturer | Starting point: imported into the project |
| CID | A device already configured, with its name, network and links | This is what is loaded into the device |
| IID | An already described device instance | Exchanging a configured device between projects |
| SCD | The whole system: devices, network and links | Master document of the project |
According to SEL, Architect also compares two SCL files by content to see what changed, and rebuilds an SCD from several files. That comparison is gold when someone modified a device in the field and the project fell behind (IED and SCD configuration management).
Order of work, in general terms
- Inventory. Which devices exist, their make and model, which IEC 61850 edition they support and what is expected of each.
- Collect the ICDs of all devices, SEL and other vendors.
- Build the project in Architect by dragging devices from its palette or adding them from a list, and define the network: addresses, subnets and, if applicable, redundancy (PRP and HSR).
- Define the links: which GOOSE each device publishes, to whom it goes, and which data sets and MMS reports the SCADA or RTAC uses (GOOSE, MMS).
- Generate and load the CIDs. Architect can load several CIDs in one operation and upgrade an existing CID to a new device version.
- Export the SCD and hand it to whoever needs it (SCADA, gateway, another vendor).
- Test device by device and end to end.
Menus and fine steps vary with the tool version and the firmware of each IED; this walk-through is conceptual, and the detail is in SEL’s documentation.
A good practice is to close each stage with a tagged version of the SCD and a note of what changed. That way, when a device is replaced or the substation is extended, you start from a known point and not from the memory of whoever did the work.
What can be configured in Architect
SEL describes tools to work the three services of the standard: GOOSE, sampled values (IEC 61850-9-2 LE or IEC 61869-9, publication and subscription) and MMS. For devices that allow it, there is a server model editor, where devices, logical nodes and data are added or edited, and an MMS report editor, buffered and unbuffered. Data sets can also be cloned and custom logical devices created. All of this calls for caution: a custom data model must be documented, because whoever receives it later will find names that are not in the original ICD (SCL object model).
Where the RTAC comes in
The RTAC is usually the point where two worlds meet: the substation IEDs and the control center. Toward the IEDs it acts as a client (reads their reports) or as a GOOSE subscriber; upward it can act as a server, if it has that software option. Its datasheet lists the MMS client and server, and GOOSE, as ordering options, so confirm which are installed before designing the architecture (SEL RTAC gateway). Integrating an ION9000 meter with ICD and CID files, data sets and GOOSE is covered in ION9000 Meter: IEC 61850 Configuration.
SEL publishes an application guide specifically for configuring the RTAC to exchange data with SEL IEDs over IEC 61850 GOOSE; the concrete steps and firmware requirements come from that document and the RTAC software, and this guide does not repeat them. Mapping a SICAM I/O unit and subscribing to GOOSE from the SCD are detailed in SICAM I/O-Unit: IEC 61850 Mapping Tool and GOOSE.
Common mistakes
- Changing a device in the field without updating the SCD. The project says one thing and the device does another. Avoid it with a single master copy of the SCD and file comparison.
- Mixing editions without deciding it. A device on edition 1 and another on edition 2 may not understand each other over GOOSE (editions 1, 2 and 2.1).
- Oversized data sets. More data means more bandwidth and more testing (sampled values and GOOSE bandwidth).
- No naming convention. Without a naming criterion, the SCADA ends up with points that cannot be traced.
- No time synchronization. Events from different devices cannot be ordered (time synchronization in substations).
- Testing only at the end. Each GOOSE and each report is tested when it is loaded (protection tests with GOOSE).
What only the software can confirm
Menu paths, the parameters of each control block and the firmware requirements per device can be verified only with the manufacturer’s software and documentation. This guide neither details nor invents them.
When to call us
If you have a substation with SEL relays and other manufacturers and you need the IEC 61850 engineering ordered, versioned and tested, we develop it and leave it documented, including the integration with the RTAC. See SCADA integration and gateways and control, protection and communications configuration. Write to us through contact.
Related guides
- SEL acSELerator software
- SEL RTAC gateway
- Top-down and bottom-up IEC 61850 engineering
- IEC 61850 system configurator
- GOOSE between relays of different brands
- ION9000 Meter: IEC 61850 Configuration
- SICAM I/O-Unit: IEC 61850 Mapping Tool and GOOSE
- UCA 2.0 and Its Relationship to IEC 61850
References
- SEL, SEL-5032 acSELerator Architect product page: file types, editors, SCL editions, GOOSE, sampled values and MMS.
- SEL, documentation index: application guide to configure the RTAC for data exchange with SEL IEDs over GOOSE.
- IEC 61850 series.
Frequently asked questions
What does acSELerator Architect do that QuickSet does not?
QuickSet configures the settings of each SEL relay. Architect works at system level: it describes how devices communicate with each other through GOOSE, sampled values and MMS reports, including other vendors' devices whose SCL files are imported. SEL presents both as complementary.
Does Architect read files from other manufacturers?
Yes. SEL states that SCL files from other vendors can be imported so that SEL devices subscribe to their GOOSE, sampled values or reports. It supports editions 1, 2 and 2.1 of SCL. Whether communication works also depends on both devices speaking the same edition of the standard.
Can I do all the IEC 61850 engineering with just Architect and the RTAC?
The RTAC is programmed and configured with its own software, acSELerator RTAC. Architect covers the design of the IEC 61850 communication between the IEDs; the RTAC takes part as client or server depending on the software options it has. How the two parts are linked is confirmed in SEL's application documentation.